Sustainability news

Prosus-backed food delivery company iFood recently completed the first year of its iFood Pedal sustainability initiative, the world's first electric bicycle rental service exclusively for couriers.

In partnership with Tembici, a leading micro-mobility company, the project will now be the largest in Latin America to offer electric bicycles for delivery. In the first year of iFood Pedal, one million orders were delivered by bicycle, avoiding the emission of 271 tons of CO2, and contributing to iFood's goal of making half of its deliveries using non-polluting modes by 2025.

After using the sustainable courier solution in the Brazilian metropoles of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which already have a total of 500 electric bicycles, another 2 000 electric bicycles will soon become available in four other major cities - Recife, Salvador, Brasília and Porto Alegre.

The new cities were chosen according to the demands that appeared in surveys and in conversations with the deliverymen. It was in this way, in fact, that the project was born.

"iFood Pedal was co-created with partner delivery companies and proved to be sustainable and fully aligned with the operational, environmental and social impact we wanted to achieve", says Fernando Martins, head of innovation and logistics at iFood. "This model is here to stay because we saw consumers and restaurants being served more efficiently, and delivery people satisfied with having greater earnings in less time."

Sustainable model

David Anastacia, 38, has been an iFood delivery partner for four years. He says that he started making deliveries with his own bicycle and decided to test the iFood Pedal in March 2021, after his skinny one broke.

“Before, I worked two days to rest for one. Now, with an electric bicycle, I can work at longer intervals. It's much lighter, more agile, it doesn't get too tiring”, says David, who usually travels through São Paulo neighbourhoods such as Itaim, Vila Olímpia and Brooklin. “With the money I made with the electric, I was able to buy another bike, to take turns.”

This gain in agility is made possible by the assisted pedal, which activates the electric motor when the bike is pedalled, making it lighter -- and allowing the delivery person to reach a speed of 25 km/h. In parallel, the artificial intelligence behind the iFood platform designates shorter routes for bike delivery people.

Support to delivery people

When he became unemployed, Luís Fabiano Pinheiro, 42, saw delivery as an opportunity to generate income during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I had already seen the bicycles circulating along Avenida Paulista. As soon as I joined iFood, I signed up.”

As he doesn't have a motorcycle, he joined the electric bicycle as it is an affordable way to start working in the area in early 2021. Pinheiros, in São Paulo. “With it, I make more deliveries because I cover distances faster. Today I can pay all my bills and I'm saving up to one day buy a motorcycle.”

At the iFood Pedal, delivery people from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro can use the electric bicycle for four hours and have support at pick-up points, where protective equipment, water filters, restrooms, microwaves, recharge points are available. cell phone and rest space.

In addition, partners also have access to Pedal Responsa, a partnership with Instituto Aromeiazero to offer online training and awareness courses about the care and responsibilities that delivery people need to have in their work -- especially in the midst of the pandemic.

Those who work in São Paulo also have a turn at Girando Ideias, an iFood Pedal action in the city of São Paulo to promote meetings and dynamics with discussions on how to improve the daily lives of delivery people. The activities are led by mentors focused on dialogue and active listening.

For more information, please visit the iFood website.